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     Training

Dave Shumpert
A well-loved photo of Dave and Macho in the "old days."
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Dave Shumpert Bio

Dave Shumpert began starting colts and training ranch and rope horses as a teenager in the Arizona desert, working with primarily Brahman-cross waspy cattle and thoroughbred-cross desert bred horses. As a youngster not old enough to drive, he rode to the local team roping arena several miles away which sparked his early interest in competitive team roping and training. Riding various feedlot jobs further expanded his experience with cattle and working horses.

While working on a ranch near Yuma, he was able to make a trade for Sir Waggoner Deck, a young chestnut stud horse that was known to be more than a little hard to get along with. Soon, "Macho" not only earned his keep as a solid roping and ranch horse for Dave, but as a fantastic sire as well.

Through the years, Dave has team roped competitively in the USTRC and ACTRA, along with with local jackpots and associations. He has trained countless successful team roping horses and competitors. However, over the years he's found that his true passion is in studying pedigrees, breeding, colt starting and training.

His philosophy is simple and formed through years of hands-on experience and continuing study (below).

X2D Horses encourages you to visit our site and check out our prospects started with these methods, and, visit our success story and testimonial pages as well for training success stories. Please contact us for information on our studs, broodmares or prospects for sale.


Training Philosophy

Horse Training Tips "I believe in how horses talk and treat each other. I believe that a lead mare is the one to live up to. She is the leader. The lead mare is the one I want to be. She communicates with her expressions. If that doesn't work, she will warn again
        with physical presence. If that doesn't work she will come after you."

Horse Training Tips "Horses need to trust people, but they must also respect people. Not just because a person is taking in oxygen, but because the person has earned both. Most horses want to be led. The lead mare leads. In one way they respect her
        authority and place in the herd, the other way they trust her. They trust her to keep order in the herd but also lead them
        to water. She leads with consistency. The horses know where she stands and where each horse stands with her. She
        doesn't waver much in how she handles things. She leads by example and without fear. The horses around her can see
        it and want to get along with her."

Horse Training Tips "How you get to the lead mare's postion depends on the individual horse you are working with and how you handle it. But once you get there, the rest comes much easier, but still at the horse's pace. If you go too fast, the horse will let you
        know, then you need to look at yourself first."

Training photos

Horse Training Ideas Working a waspy filly from horseback, 2008. Horse Training Camp Near Longmont Training begins early; Playboy Pepalena learns to give a foot as mama (Mollys Wind Dancer) keeps an eye out. June 2009.
Dave and Tiny Joe stretch one. Horse Training Camp Near Longmont Training camp starts early. Weanlings learn to stand tied, have their feet handled/trimmed, and are started on round pen basics and trailer loading. Left to right: Mud, Ike and Rawhide. Visit the "horses" page under "prospects" to see the full pedigrees of these roping-bred weanlings from proven PRCA/NFR and AQHA championship bloodlines.
Cowboy Horse Training Camp Horse Training Camp Near Loveland
Horse Training Camp in Colorado Horse Training Camp
Above 4 photos, left to right: Two-year olds are taught to accept a rope all around them from the ground, quietly flex laterally and vertically, walk, trot and lope under saddle, and to accept a rider swinging a loop above and on all sides. Before this stage of training, they are taught to drive around the round pen and give to pressure without a saddle. They are saddled loose (versus being tied or restrained) for the first few times and ridden in a halter. Slowly, the snaffle and under-saddle work are introduced.
Hunting Horse Colorado Horse Training
Above: X2D horses are exposed to the trail and rugged terrain as soon as possible. Here, Ropin' Rocky (Sir Waggoner Deck/Rapids Cupcake by Rapid Bar) stands hobbled in the rain at hunting camp this year. As soon as colts or older horses are able, they help pack into and out of camp and learn to stand tied to a high line or hobbled.
Training Horse For Hunting Horse Training Camp Above: This buckskin gelding owned by Claudia (see testimonials) gets hard miles and huntin' camp exposure in the high country.
Colorado Horse Training Camp Horse Training Camp Near Longmont
Above: More colts and horses at huntin' camp, 2006. Hunting Camp photos by Quinn Smith.
Red Roan Filly Above: Dave puts the first ride on a red roan filly, winter 2004. Horse Tracking A Lead Steer Above: Dave starts Lil Man tracking a lead steer, 2004. (see testimonials)


Colts and horses in training are exposed to and used in real ranch situations, such as gathering, branding, sorting, dragging calves to the fire, and lots of miles in a day. Photos by Holly Gould.
Branding day at the Gould Ranch Branding day at the Gould Ranch. Cousin Jed Roark, Clinton Gould (standing), Guy Gould, and cousin Tom Roark Horse Trained To Brand And Sort Cattle Above: Dave and Chalk (owned by the Shumperts) at the branding this spring at the Gould Ranch in eastern Colorado. Colts and horses in training are used to help our cousin, Jed Roark, gather, brand and sort cattle.
Training Horses Jed drags in a calf while Dave heads for another one Horses Brandin' 2006.
Ropping Dave ropin calves on Tiny Joe(horse in training) Sorting Wily and Dave sortin' at the Martin Black clinic, August 2007

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